Thirst for Health: Unequal childhoods in a divided world
Assignment: Quarto Report
Course: BAA1030 – Data Analytics and Storytelling
Source: UNICEF
Table of Contents
- Thirst for Health: Unequal childhoods in a divided world
- Where does the health gap lie? Water access and ORS coverage for children under 5 around the world
- Worst Performers: Where interventions are urgently needed
- Connecting the Dots: Water Access, Health, and Socioeconomic Systems
- ORS Access Across Genders: Disaggregated view
- Progress Over Time: UNICEF’s Role
- From awareness to action: Together, We can protect every child’s future
Nearly 2.2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water. Among them, children are the most vulnerable, with over 443,000 child deaths annually linked to preventable diarrheal diseases. These lives could often be saved with two essential tools: clean water and Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS).
This indicators tell a story of disparity and determination. It visualizes global inequalities and UNICEF's initiatives, through a lens of geography, gender, and socioeconomics factors.
This indicators tell a story of disparity and determination. It visualizes global inequalities and UNICEF's initiatives, through a lens of geography, gender, and socioeconomics factors.
The goal? To empower action through knowledge; spotlighting where change is happening, and where urgent interventions remain needed.
Where does the health gap lie? Water access and ORS coverage for children under 5 around the world
This visualization presents a layered geographic assessment: countries shaded in blue represent lower rates of unimproved water access, while the light green bubbles indicate levels of ORS coverage.
Together, they expose a disturbing reality: in many regions,particularly Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, the areas with the worst water infrastructure are also those with the poorest access to lifesaving treatment.
Highlighted markers spotlight the worst 10 performers for each metric, emphasizing where immediate, integrated interventions are most critical.
Together, they expose a disturbing reality: in many regions,particularly Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, the areas with the worst water infrastructure are also those with the poorest access to lifesaving treatment.
Highlighted markers spotlight the worst 10 performers for each metric, emphasizing where immediate, integrated interventions are most critical.
- These disparities serve as a geographic dimension for UNICEF’s targeted deployment of efforts and health system support.
Worst Performers: Where interventions are urgently needed
In the dual-bar plot above, the data reveal a story of severe vulnerability: countries like Guinea-Bissau, Chad, and Mozambique face extreme barriers in access to clean water, with coverage falling below 36%.
Simultaneously, Ivory Coast, Togo, and Azerbaijan report ORS coverage under 15%, a dangerously low figure given the treatability of diarrheal diseases with basic interventions.
- This correlation reveals a compounding risk profile: low water access + low treatment access = high preventable mortality.
Layering GDP per capita and inflation markers into the same frame underscores how economic development has a role in this disparities. These nations reveal a regional underperforming trend, signaling urgent need for cross-sectoral intervention.
UNICEF’s data reveal that health inputs are highly impacted by the socioeconomic-sphere. Most struggling countries are from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, with outliers like Kiribati, Argentina, and Montenegro. Therefore the empowerement of these ecosystems holistically is the only solution to disrupt cycles of neglect.
Connecting the Dots: Water Access, Health, and Socioeconomic Systems
This multiscatter plot offers a dual-lens view into how unimproved water access intersects with two critical dimensions: birth rate and life expectancy. These variables are not simply outcomes, they're indicators of broader public health resilience.
In the Birth Rate panel, nations with high levels of population using unimproved water show a negative correlation with fertility rates,underscoring how limited access to healthcare and infrastructure perpetuates reproductive pressure. Conversely, the Life Expectancy panel reveals a clear positive relationship: as water access improves, average lifespans increase dramatically. Countries like South Sudan and Liberia sit far below global norms, highlighting zones of urgent intervention.
Bubble size encodes GDP per capita, visually reinforcing the socioeconomic dimension of health equity. The trend is unmistakable: wealth correlates with clean water access, which in turn predicts longevity. Yet exceptions like Kiribati and Marshall Islands remind us that governance, geography, and global support also shape outcomes.
In the Birth Rate panel, nations with high levels of population using unimproved water show a negative correlation with fertility rates,underscoring how limited access to healthcare and infrastructure perpetuates reproductive pressure. Conversely, the Life Expectancy panel reveals a clear positive relationship: as water access improves, average lifespans increase dramatically. Countries like South Sudan and Liberia sit far below global norms, highlighting zones of urgent intervention.
Bubble size encodes GDP per capita, visually reinforcing the socioeconomic dimension of health equity. The trend is unmistakable: wealth correlates with clean water access, which in turn predicts longevity. Yet exceptions like Kiribati and Marshall Islands remind us that governance, geography, and global support also shape outcomes.
- This cycle of: poor water access → poor health → high birth rates,is both a cause and consequence of stagnated development.
This multivariate visualization offers a clear message: investment in water systems is not just am health issue, it’s foundational to breaking cycles of vulnerability and enabling long-term demographic and economic progress.
ORS Access Across Genders: Disaggregated view
This grouped bar chart presents ORS treatment coverage in five countries with the lowest overall access, disaggregated by sex: girls, boys, and total. The use of pink and blue bars enables quick visual interpretation of any divergence between genders.
Across all five cases, the data shows no significant gender disparity in treatment rates. The minor variations observed are not consistent nor statistically indicative of systemic bias. In other words, access to ORS in these regions appears equitable by sex — a notable finding in a global context where healthcare inequality often persists.
However, this does not diminish the importance of disaggregated reporting. Even slight anomalies could signal local barriers or missed outreach. Monitoring who gets what care, and why, is essential for upholding equity and accountability in child health programs.
Across all five cases, the data shows no significant gender disparity in treatment rates. The minor variations observed are not consistent nor statistically indicative of systemic bias. In other words, access to ORS in these regions appears equitable by sex — a notable finding in a global context where healthcare inequality often persists.
However, this does not diminish the importance of disaggregated reporting. Even slight anomalies could signal local barriers or missed outreach. Monitoring who gets what care, and why, is essential for upholding equity and accountability in child health programs.
- This insight reinforces the need for gender-responsive monitoring,even when parity is present, tracking ensures that equity is preserved.
While the evidence here reflects balance, the principle remains: every child counts. Continued attention to sex-disaggregated data protect inclusivity in global health outcomes.
Progress Over Time: UNICEF’s Role
This timeline reflects over two decades of coordinated action, charting the steady reduction in unimproved water access and the progressive expansion of ORS treatment coverage across UNICEF’s operational landscape.
📉 Unimproved Water Access
Between 2000 and 2022, the global average dropped from 9.0% to 5.0%, a near halving in unimproved water dependency. This trend is supported by infrastructure-scale interventions like WASH programs, Handwashing Campaigns, and the landmark SDG 6 commitment.
📈 ORS Treatment Coverage
ORS coverage advanced from 29.7% to 43.9%, with some fluctuations aligned to key initiatives such as ORS integration, Zinc endorsement, and digital delivery methods. Health access is highly responsive to delivery strategies.
🔍 Strategic Milestones
Policy-led shifts like the Global ORS Scale-Up, Clean Water for Children, and Integrated Child Health campaigns are impactful initiatives. They are targeted intervention, supporting the most vulnerable countries in delivering infrastructure growth.
⚖️ Systemic Implication
While this efforts remain strong, we have not yet reached zero unimproved water access and 100% ORS treatment coverage. Bridging this initiatives with governance effort is where UNICEF must act, ensuring real impact.
The queston is: what’s next? Governments, organizatons, and each of us have a role to play. UNICEF, alongside global partners, is driving this mission forward, but achieving universal access to safe water and ORS treatment requires collective acton.
From awareness to action: Together, We can protect every child’s future
As this story makes clear, numbers are not just statistics, they represent children still waiting for basic rights: clean water, life-saving treatment, and a fair start in life.
But progress is possible. UNICEF and partners are showing what's achievable when investment meets purpose.
The next step is ours. Advocacy, funding, innovation, each action each one of us take support the global effort for zero preventable child deaths.
🔗 Learn more about UNICEF’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programs here.